346 acres donated to Rockefeller State Park Preserve

Another 346 acres will be added to the Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Pocantico Hills following a donation from the estate of David Rockefeller, the late billionaire banker philanthropist.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the donation on Jan. 10, noting the acquisition brings the preserve’s total acreage to 1,771 acres. Those acres stretch from the Hudson River to the Taconic State Parkway. The Rockefeller State Park Preserve is composed mostly of land donated by the Rockefeller family.

David Rockefeller already allowed visitors to the preserve access to the historic carriage roads through his adjacent Hudson Pines Farm, but the state said the latest donation will ensure the recreational pathways remain accessible to the public.

In December, the preserve’s 65-mile carriage road network ”“ designed by the Rockefeller family ”“ was recommended for approval into the state and national register of historic places.

The gift brings the total land donated by the Rockefeller family up to 1,400 since the park’s creation in 1983. David Rockefeller also donated $4 million to establish an operating endowment supporting the preserve in 2015.

Next door to the preserve, the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture also received a gift of nearly 93 acres from the David Rockefeller Estate. Stone Barns has agreed to a conservation easement with the New York State Parks Recreation & Historic Preservation that will protect the 93 acres.

The preserve attracts nearly 300,000 visitors per year, according to the state’s announcement.